Broom



Jan. 26, 1932. K, R', CLENDENING 1,842,896

BROOM Fi led Nov. 27, 1929 Patented Jan. 26, 1932 QFFUNITEDMSTATES PATENT orFlcs ma CLENDENING, or CEDAR imrrns, IOWA BROOM Application filed'November 27, 1929. Serial No.410,179.

1 The object of this invention is to improve the construction of brooms, with a view to speeding up and reducing the cost of manufacture, .and the producing of brooms of higher efficiency and more lasting qualities than brooms as hitherto produced. The invention is fully disclosed in the description and claims following, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a frontview of a broom embodying my invention. Fig. 2 illustrates a partly formed broom and apparatus used in the making thereof, at a certain stage in the process of making same. Fig.3 is a view of the same-as seen from'the handle end, the handle being in section. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in the. line 4 t of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 isa fragmentary viewin the same plane as Fig. 2, but showing the broom end ofthe handle in position. In the drawings, the numeral 5 denotes the brush, which may be formed ofany suitable broom material, broom-corn being generally preferred. As in the construction of the broom there is no folding of any part of the broom straw back on itself it is possible to make a considerably longer brush with straw of the length commonly employed,-or make a broom of equal length with much shorter stock. This in itself is a matter of considerable economy, and there are'oth er economies incident to the manufacture, especially in labor costs,aswill presently appear.

The head of the brush is held firmly in place between a pair of clamping .plates 6, 7

formed of sheet metal, andof a length to a little more than span the head ofthe brush, with overlapping ends 6a to bendaround the 4 edges of the brush and so prevent the escape of broom-straw at the sides. By reference to Fig. 4 it"will be seen that the plates are concaved inwardly, so that when, pressed tightly on the straw, the latter is somewhat bunched 1 4 between the plates, andfcrimped at their edges. This effectually holds the straw against slipping or detachment. endwise. The edges of the plates at 62) are rounded outwardly a little, asshown, so as to prevent cutting or abrasion of'the straw in manufacture, or in the subsequent use of the broom. The plates, after being subjected to power-. ful pressure to compress the straw between,

- are bound together with rivets 7 and the ends folded over the straw and interlocked, as shown. y i This part of the broom, as a brush, is com, pleted by stitching a little distance below the clamps. In practice itis preferred to band the broom with a strip of fabric, 8, and sew through this and the broom in any way desired. The fabric band serves to bind this part of the brush neatly together, and may contribute an ornamental feature to the broom. Trimming the free end of the brush completes the operation. I

Instead of connectingthe handle 9 to-the brush-head, its clamping plates,for example), asmay be done in various Ways,-it is found in practice preferable to provide a special shank structure which will admit of the insertion of-the end ofthe handle within the tightly compressed mass of broom-straw between the head-plates. It has been found diflic ult to so connect the handle to: a shank or socket wholly outside the brush as to give the whole structure. adequatev stiffness, and prevent the handle from working loose. The desired result is secured by'providing a pair of shanksplates 10, pierced with rivet holes 10a to register with those of the clamp-plates and provided with outwardly extending socket shanks 11 to receive the handle The shank-plates have flat, inner lobes12, which adjoin each other as assembled in thebrush head, thebroom straw being packed between them and the outer clamp-plates in the makeup 'of the broom,as indicated in Fig. ,4. :1 When the final pressure is brought to bear on the Whole assembly the head is solid and rigid.

The outwardly extending socket shanks are formed as semi-conical structures, constricted at 11a, and with semi-cylindrical ends 116. The end of the handle is turned to fit this socket, a groove at 9a fitting the constriction in the shank and holding it from slipping endwise. The conical end of the handle, as will be seen, extends to within the solid head of the brush, and thus gives it a firm bracing connection therewith. The socket halves are held to firm contact with the handle by forrule 13 slipped thereover. Turning of the handle in the socketis prevented by a stud or brad 14 driven into the handle and lying between the slightly open halves of the socket. Fig. 2 is illustrative of the assembling of the parts of the brush, a special machine being employed in practice. The figure indicates the general method, however. A: suitable form 15 is provided with upstanding guidepins to bring the clamp-plates and socketplates in register. Guide-posts 18 retain the broom straw at the sides. A gauge 19 may serve'as an abutment for the thick ends of the straw, but in practice it is preferable to gauge the straw endwise by its natural fibrous other ends, which if trimmed but little serve thebest possible purpose in a broom. Indeed one of the special advantages of the construction herein described is that it makes possible the evening up of the brush from the sweeping end, so that the fine, branching fibers at the ends of the straw are left practically intact, and give the highest sweeping, dust-gathering qualityto the broom.

One of the clamp-plates being set in position, a proper quantity of broom-straw is heaped thereon- The pair of socket plates is then placed on top, and an equal quantity of broom-straw laid thereover. The second clamp-plate is then placed, and the whole subjected to strong pressure in a suitable press, not shown. While under suchpressure the head is riveted together, preferably and for convenience, with tubular rivets. The ends of the clamp-plates being folded over and interlocked, the stub ends of straw projecting beyond the clamp-plates are trimmed neatly, as indicated in Fig. 1, and preferably finished by painting or staining. The ragged ends of the other end of the brush being trimmed, the broom is completed by sewing and the attachment of the handle, as above described.

The cost of the metal parts is partly compensated by economy in the cost of the broomstraw, and much more than compensated by the labor costs in manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim V 1. A structure of the nature indicated comprising a mass of fibrous material having a pair of plates embedded therein adjacent one end, said plates having curved extensions extending from one side thereof to form ahandle receiving socket, clamping plates embracing the fibrous material in the vicinity of the embedded plates and adapted to clamp the fibrous material to the embedded plates, and means passing through the embedded plates and the clamping plates to secure the fibrous material to the socket.

2. A broom comprising straight fibrous materials having a metallic element embedded therein adjacent one end thereof, said metallic element having a socket forming member extending therefroln through the end of the fibrous material and in line therewith,- clamping means on opposite sides of said-end of thefibrous material, said clamping means having the metallic plate arranged between same so that holding means may be passed through the clamping means and the metallic plate, and'fmetallic holding means passing through the clamping means, plate and fibrous material to hold all of said parts together.

3. A broom brush-head, comprising. a mass of unbent fibrous material and a pair of clampplates embracing the mass at one end, and riveted thereto and therethrough, the plates being concave on their inner sides to allow the enclosed material to heap into the hollows and be held against endwise displacement.

4. A broom, comprising-a mass of-unb'ent fibrous material, a pair of clamp-plates embracing the mass at one end, a handle-socket member centrally disposed between said plates, and held by rivets passing through the whole assembly, and a handle fitting-said socket.

5. A broom, comprising amass of .unbent fibrous material, a pair of embracing clampplates riveted thereto, a socket member for the handle having inwardly disposed flat lobes arranged centrally within thefibrous mass and held by rivets through all the parts, and a handle fitting in said socket.

6. A broom, comprising a brush of unbent fibrous material, a pair of embracing clampplates riveted thereto, a handle socket having a pair of flat lobes lying midway between the clamp-plates, and held by-rivets through all the parts, the-handle socket-being substantially conical and provided with an outwardly extending tubular shank to receive the handle, and a handle fitted therein.

7. A broom, comprising a brush of. unbent fibrous material, a pair of embracing clampplates riveted thereto, a handle socket formed of a pair of plates with flat lobes to lie midway between the clamp-plates and be held by rivets through all the pants, and with semi-conical shanks opening outwardly and having constrictions to'engagea groove in the handle, and a handle with. a conical end and a groove to fit inside said socket.

I 8. A broom, comprising a brush of fibrous material, a pair of embracing clamp-plates riveted thereto, an interposed handle socket formed of a pair of flat-lobed plates held midway between the clamp-plates by rivets through all the parts, with outwardly opening semi-conical shanks, constricted to engage a groove in a handle, a handle outwardly formed to fit the inside of said socket, a ferrule to enclose the halves of the shank, and means to prevent the handle turning therein. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

KARL R CLENDENING. 

